Heart of Darkness

The narrator, Marlow, describes a journey he took on an African river after being assigned to take command of a cargo boat stranded in the interior. He makes his way through the treacherous forest, hearing tantalizing stories of a Mr. Kurtz, the company's most successful representative. He reaches Kurtz's compound in a remote outpost only to see a row of human heads mounted on poles. In this alien context, unbound by the strictures of his own culture, Kurtz has exchanged his soul for a bloody power. As Marlow transports him downriver, Kurtz delivers an arrogant and empty explanation of his deeds as a visionary quest. To the narrator Kurtz's dying words, "The horror! The horror!" represent despair at the encounter with human depravity -- the heart of darkness. This edition contains extensive overviews of both the author and the novel.